Moist pad and paper-weight



(Model.)

B. W. ARCHER & 1). B. FESSENDEN.

MOIST PAD AND PAPER WEIGHT.

No. 245,043, Patented Aug. 2,1881.

m'inesses known.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

EDWIN W. ARCHER, OF BOSTON, AND DANIEL B. FESSENDEN, OF EVERETT,MASSACHUSETTS.

MOIST PAD AND PAPER -WEIGHT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 245,043, dated August2, 1881.

Application filed February 3, 1881. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern:7

Be it known that we, EDWIN W. ARCHER, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, and DANIEL B. FESSE DEN, of Everett,in the county of Middlesex and said State of Massachusetts, residents,re spectively, of Boston and Everett, and both citizens of the UnitedStates, have invented a new and useful Moist Pad and Paper-Weight, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a moist pad and paper-weight in which the padis formed of woody fungus, used either in the raw state or subjectedfirst to heat to kill the animal life, said pad; touching or restingupon a column or post of the same material rising vertically from thebottom of the water-chamber. The pad is inserted in a detachable rim,and forms a top of the cup or water -receptacle. The bottom of thewater-cup can be weighted or the cup itself can be made of glass or someother heavy material, so that it may be used as a paper-weight. Theresiliency of the pad is increased by subjecting it to heat, either byboiling it or baking it, while the porosity of the substance is notdiminished.- The water is not applied directly to the pad, as isordinarily the case in spon ge-cups and other moisteners which use glassor rubberrolls; but the water is first put intothe cup of the moistener,and it then ascends the post heretofore spoken of, and by that meansisconducted to the pad. and evenly distributed through it and over itssurface in sufficient amount to moisten the fingers for the counting ofbills or other.

papers, as well as to moisten stamps, labels, and envelopes. Anotherdecided advantage obtained from the use of this material for themoistener-pad is that so long as there is any water at all in the cup itwill, as a result of capillary attraction, be drawn through the post tothe pad, and will at all times lie evenly upon the upper surface of thepad, whether the same is in use or not.' It does not require constantreplenishing with water, as do all other moisteners now in use orheretofore The substance used will retain moisture longer than sponge orany material that we have ever before known.

'It is not essential to the utility of our invention that thelpad shouldbe in permanent contact with the post of the material. It is sufficientthat they be placed adjacently to each other, so that the pad may beoccasionally pressed down until it comes in contact with the post andreceives a supply of moisture from it. The vertical post we can makeeither of a solid piece of the woody fungus or we can use refuse scrapsof the same piled one upon the other and held in position by beingcrowded down over a wire post rising vertically from the bottom of thecup.

The drawing shows a vertical central section of our invention, in whichA represents the moist pad, which is compressed into a rim or collar, D,which collar is provided with inside flanges at the top and bottom tohold the pad in place and prevent its being pressed down or crowded upout of the rim. This rim is screwed or otherwise fastened upon the cupor water-chamber G. I From the center of the bottom of the cup risesvertically a wire post, 8, upon which is put the material which formsthe post or conductor B. The water lies at any desired height in the cupabout this post B.

On the extreme bottom of the chamber or cup 0 we sometimes may place aplate, L, of lead or some other heavy substance, to render the apparatusmore stable and serviceable as a paper-weight; but this is a detail ofconstruction, and will be unnecessary when the cup is made of heavymaterial.

The woody fungus of birch trees is preferable, but fungus of any otherspecies of tree will answer the purposes of our invention.

We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The porous padA, made of woody fungus, as described, and confined in the rim D,combined with a cup, 0, wire post s, and poro ous post B, of woodyfungus, to form a moistener and paper-weight, as shown and described.

2. A moistener in which the pad is made of woody fungus, either in a rawstate or first subjected to the action of heat, combined with areceptacle for the holding of water.

EDWIN W. ARCHER. DANIEL B. FESSENDEN.

Witnesses HENRY MARSH, J r., CHARLES W. SAWYER.

